From Where You Are
by greenconverses
Summary: Percy deals with the unexpected aftermath after the Agro II lands at Camp Jupiter. Post-SoN, Percy/Annabeth, spoilers.


**Author's notes: **The alternative scenario to my fic _All Roads Lead To Rome_. Because RSquared is a troll, I'm going to bet that _Mark of Athena_ will start like this.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or Heroes of Olympus.

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><p><strong>From Where You Are<strong>

Apollo must've been in the mood to celebrate the day the _Argos II_ landed in the forum, because the sunset over New Rome that night was pretty damn spectacular.

The fading rays of sunlight painted the marble buildings in fantastic reds, oranges, and golds, and the purple and blue shadows of night crept delicately through the cobblestone streets of the small city. The hills of the valley that surround the camp glowed as red as embers as the sun slowly sunk behind them, and the Little Tiber twinkled merrily off in the distance.

They had nice sunsets in Camp Half-Blood, but nothing like this. Maybe they're always this breathtaking – Camp Jupiter's on the very edge of the Olympian's territory and perhaps Apollo has more time to come with striking patterns after he leaves the other timezones. Percy hadn't paid attention to the sunset the first night he had arrived, and he's sure he wouldn't have noticed all of this if he hadn't climbed to the top of the busted aqueduct to watch it.

He normally wasn't a fan of heights, but the aqueduct seemed like the only place he could get some peace and quiet after today's events. He'd been mobbed by people all day, from his friends at Camp Half-Blood who wanted to hug (or punch, in the case of Clarisse) him and hear all about the last six months to the cautious Roman campers who needed to be convinced to trust the newcomers. Even Terminus had gotten in on the action, yelling at him for a full twenty minutes for security violations before Reyna managed to pull him away for a feast celebrating Jason Grace's return.

And throughout it all, Percy had to smile and laugh and pretend like there wasn't a part of him that wasn't aching with an intense, brutal loneliness.

He was Percy Jackson, hero of Olympus and praetor of Camp Jupiter – he couldn't be lonely and unhappy in front of the people who needed him. Instead, he had to wait and disappear to the top of the aqueduct, where the thunder of the water pouring from the opening a few meters away from his feet could almost drown out the agonizing ithump thump thump/i of his heart against his chest.

Annabeth hadn't come.

It hadn't taken him long to notice that among the crowd of demigods pouring from the _Argo II_, there was no girl with princess curls or piercing gray eyes. First, he had been worried that there was something the other campers weren't telling him Annabeth, that she been hurt beyond repair while he was gone and then, when they pushed the blonde boy forward – Jason, his _replacement_ – he realized it was something else.

"Annabeth wanted to come, she did," Jason had explained, his blue eyes crinkled with sympathy. "But Nico showed up a few days before we left and Rachel gave two of them a prophecy and she had to go."

"Go where?" Percy had asked, although he was sure he already knew the answer. Two lines of prophecy echoed in his mind mockingly.

_Daughter of wisdom walks alone, the mark of Athena burns through..._

"Rome."

Percy'd tried not to let his disappointment and hurt show through, but it'd been a tough battle. If people noticed, they didn't say anything, and the smiles and laughter he'd thrown out afterward seemed to convince the rest that he'd gotten over it. Hazel and Frank had seemed concerned, but he'd put enough people between them that they didn't have a chance to talk to him before he snuck away.

He didn't want to be asked how he _felt_ or if he was doing _okay_ or if he needed a_ hug_ or something. He'd just spent the last two months without his memory, getting chased around the California wilderness, had almost died like ten different times, and had just been denied seeing the one memory – the one _person_ that'd kept him sane throughout it all.

He was _not_ fucking okay.

Percy wanted Annabeth. And she wasn't here.

The water running beneath the smooth stone under him rumbled warningly and Percy took a deep breath, trying to calm down. It would do any good if he blew up the rest of the aqueduct by accident, and it certainly wouldn't bring Annabeth to him any faster.

Gods, he missed her. He hadn't known it was possible to miss a person this much. It was as if not seeing her on the deck of the _Argo II_ had unleashed the true extent of his loneliness. Anything he'd felt before, when he'd been memory-less, alone and cold in the wilderness of California, was a shadow of emotion compared to what he felt now.

It felt so wrong, being in this incredible place without her at his side and watching his back. She should be here with him, pointing out the different buildings in the forum and New Rome or telling him all about aqueduct construction and how she needed to talk to the Roman engineers about repairs or just enjoying the sunset and one last moment of peace before their world fell apart again.

It just wasn't fair.

Percy pulled his knees to his chest and propped his head on top of his arms, watching glumly as darkness settled over the valley and lights began popping on in the houses of New Rome and the barracks of Camp Jupiter. He'd have to go back down there soon, before they started looking for him, and he'd have to stop avoiding the other people who cared about him. He was Percy Jackson – he didn't dwell in self-pity for long and when he wanted something fixed, he took action.

Percy glanced up at the sky, watching as the stars slowly crept into place, and his resolve hardened.

Frank, Hazel, Leo, Piper, Jason, him... they were all going to Rome. As soon as possible, if he had anything to say about it.

And then, his pounding heart told him, he'd find Annabeth, even if he had to hold up the sky all over again.

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><p>The light was still on Annabeth's hotel room, even though she had long fallen asleep on top of her maps and notebooks, golden hair spilling across her desk and caught in the pages of her Italian-to-English dictionary.<p>

As the early morning light began to filter into the sky she stirred, blinking dreams of a dark haired boy's steady heartbeat and smile. For the first time since he disappeared, she hadn't awoken with the overwhelming sense of loss that had become the despairing shadow hanging over her existence.

Annabeth allowed herself a small smile as she watched the sun rise over the most ancient parts of Rome. She still had much work to do, but they were close. So very close.

"I'm waiting, Percy," she murmured. "Come and find me."


End file.
